it with wide opened eyes, and urged myself to go and steal it.

Then I hear the constable cough. What puts it into my head to do the same?
I rise up from the seat and repeat the cough three times so that he may
hear it. Won't he jump at the corner when he comes. I sat and laughed at
this trick, rubbed my hands with glee, and swore with rollicking
recklessness. What a disappointment he will get, the dog! Wouldn't this
piece of villainy make him inclined to sink into hell's hottest pool of
torment! I was drunk with starvation; my hunger had made me tipsy.

A few minutes later the policeman comes by, clinking his iron heels on the
pavement, peering on all sides. He takes his time; he has the whole night
before him; he does not notice the paper bag--not till he comes quite
close to it. Then he stops and stares at it. It looks so white and so full
as it lies there; perhaps a little sum--what? A little sum of silver
money?... and he picks it up. Hum ... it is light--very light; maybe an
expensive feather; some hat trimming.... He opened it carefully with his
big hands, and looked in. I laughed, laughed, slapped my thighs, and
laughed, like a maniac. And not a sound issued from my throat; my laughter
was hushed and feverish to the intensity of tears.

Clink, clink again over the paving-stones, and the policeman took a turn
towards the landing-stage. I sat there, with tears in my eyes, and
hiccoughed for breath, quite beside myself with feverish merriment. I
commenced to talk aloud to myself all about the cornet, imitated the poor
policeman's movements, peeped into my hollow hand, and repeated over and
over again to myself, "He coughed as he threw it away--he coughed as he
threw it away." I added new words to these, gave them additional point,
changed the whole sentence, and made it catching and piquant. He coughed
once--Kheu heu!